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[Albion] Cracking win for Brighton











Moshe Gariani

Well-known member
Mar 10, 2005
12,092
I wanted to see the flowing move of brilliant football that ended with Mitoma having a shot cleared off the line.... obviously wasn't enough time in the programme for that though.
 








Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
23,608
My day isn't made complete by MOTD crowing about Albion. Today they played well, but to the neutral the chat would have been how woeful Saints were.

There were a few occasions when I thought how we wouldn't get away with/be able to perform certain patterns of play against Arsenal. It's just a simple fact.

Albion did there job and did it well. But today was barely a test. All today showed me was that Albion are much better than Southampton. That doesn't tell anyone much. We already knew it.
 


Johnny RoastBeef

These aren't the players you're looking for.
Jan 11, 2016
3,158
Just shows we desperately need a striker, 3 goals from non designated strikers is a disgrace ;)
Hmmm, a goalkeeping howler, an OG and Solly's 1 goal for the season. And our false 9 managed 0 shots. I have a feeling that RDZ will still be pushing Mr Barber for a new striker.
 




Zeberdi

Brighton born & bred
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Oct 20, 2022
4,885
and our false 9 managed 0 shots. I have a feeling that RDZ will still be pushing Mr Barber for a new striker.
Laughable - What do you think the role of a false 9 is?
 


Johnny RoastBeef

These aren't the players you're looking for.
Jan 11, 2016
3,158
Laughable - What do you think the role of a false 9 is?
I know, is it the furthest forward player who drops deeper into midfield rather than a classic number 9 who holds the ball up for others around him?

The false 9 is still a teams main goalscoring threat. Think Messi, David Villa and Alexis Sanchez. All of whom were prolific goal scorers in the false 9 position. Trossard is wasted in that position and didn't manage a shot on or off target yesterday.
 


BN41Albion

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2017
6,421
Tbf from a neutral viewpoint I imagine it was one of the less interesting games...

A team that people know is good beat a team that people know suck in a pretty one-sided affair. Two small fanbases and no potential PL winner involved.
Yep, nothing to get worked up about... move on
 




Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
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Jul 23, 2003
34,213
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
I know, is it the furthest forward player who drops deeper into midfield rather than a classic number 9 who holds the ball up for others around him?

The false 9 is still a teams main goalscoring threat. Think Messi, David Villa and Alexis Sanchez. All of whom were prolific goal scorers in the false 9 position. Trossard is wasted in that position and didn't manage a shot on or off target yesterday.
The team should be the team's main goalscoring threat. Pretty sure RDZ wants goals from all over the pitch.

Messi has always been a 10 and has often operated with an out and out striker such as Suarez. Sanchez's last double digit scoring season was six years ago. Football's moved on a little since then.
 




dazzer6666

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Mar 27, 2013
52,512
Burgess Hill
The team should be the team's main goalscoring threat. Pretty sure RDZ wants goals from all over the pitch.

Messi has always been a 10 and has often operated with an out and out striker such as Suarez. Sanchez's last double digit scoring season was six years ago. Football's moved on a little since then.
Yep. This obsession with ‘strikers’ (and spending yet more of Tony’s cash) is mad. It doesn’t matter who scores.
 




Stat Brother

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Jul 11, 2003
73,785
West west west Sussex
If only they'd spent 10 minutes talking about the Albion and the game...




...we could be clutching our pearls and slagging MOTD pundits off for being wrong about everything they said.
 


Mo Gosfield

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2010
6,285
Yep. This obsession with ‘strikers’ (and spending yet more of Tony’s cash) is mad. It doesn’t matter who scores.
As at Charlton.
Cross after cross flashing into the six yard box and no predator on the end of them. We do not have one in the whole squad. Yep...it doesnt matter who scores....as long as we keep scoring.....but as we all know we have games in our locker where we ' dry up '
 


Guinness Boy

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Jul 23, 2003
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Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
As at Charlton.
Cross after cross flashing into the six yard box and no predator on the end of them. We do not have one in the whole squad. Yep...it doesnt matter who scores....as long as we keep scoring.....but as we all know we have games in our locker where we ' dry up '
Well, Brentford have a predator in Toney who has 11 goals this season but, as a team, they've scored one fewer than us (25 to our 26), played one match more and sit below us in the table.

And, while the top scorers of all are "proper strikers" (Haaland, Kane, Toney) none of those are in our price range. The next group of high scorers includes Almiron, Salah, Maddison, Trossard and Foden. Not a single "9" in those names :shrug:
 


Zeberdi

Brighton born & bred
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Oct 20, 2022
4,885
I know, is it the furthest forward player who drops deeper into midfield rather than a classic number 9 who holds the ball up for others around him?

The false 9 is still a teams main goalscoring threat. Think Messi, David Villa and Alexis Sanchez. All of whom were prolific goal scorers in the false 9 position. Trossard is wasted in that position and didn't manage a shot on or off target yesterday.
It’s a dual role really - There are no real defining characteristics of a false 9 and what he does during a game often depends on how the opposition reacts to him. However, a false 9 seldom stays in the highest forward position in possession phases of play (which would be typical of a striker) - Out of possession they are the nearly always the highest (hence the illusion of being a nine) but the line is also often shared with the other highest players in the team’s pressing pattern eg in a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 formation. However, it is the wingers who are the most threat when in possession phases. The false 9 is often a midfielder (as Tross is) too which why I can’t understand why people consistently assess his role as they would a striker? When the team is in possession, he creates space between a no9 and no10 (lower on the field than a ‘true 9’ might) and literally draws out the defence which is crucial in a low blocking opposition - it’s an unselfish role, creating pockets of space for others which gives them chance to penetrate the blocks and play through the thirds. The wingers share the goal scoring responsibilities - think Salah.

Playing a false 9 is a strikerless system which suits our possession based, playing out from the back football and where a short passing game using width, attacking fullbacks that connect with the midfield in overlapping, cut backs etc (rather than lobbing long balls up the field and bypassing the midfielders) forms the system of press. Yesterday, Tross did his job as an attacking midfielder in a false 9 and we ended up with 3 goals on the sheet - it doesnt matter that it is often Tross that scores for us and often March that doesn’t - ’de Zerbi ball’ when played well is a collective goal scoring effort that yesterday gave us a resounding win as well as being beautiful to watch.

Fans stuck on the striker system model of understanding football should watch the game a little more closely - parking 9 men behind a multi-million pound golden boy (who will NOT be a sustainable or even necessary expenditure for us) who is expected to score all or even most of the goals is not where modern football is going and not where we need to be either.
 
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Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
And that's all folks....

The entire MOTD analysis on our 3-1 drubbing of Stains. Must admit I was expecting more than 4 words.

Oh well, back under the radar.
I get the impression that Lineker is not much of a fan of the Albion, for whatever reason. Must be galling that we are now a more progressive club than his first love though.

It amuses me rather than irritates me though. Shearer is probably the most likely one to praise us but he is understandably distracted by Newcastle being right in the title race.
 


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
My day isn't made complete by MOTD crowing about Albion. Today they played well, but to the neutral the chat would have been how woeful Saints were.

There were a few occasions when I thought how we wouldn't get away with/be able to perform certain patterns of play against Arsenal. It's just a simple fact.

Albion did there job and did it well. But today was barely a test. All today showed me was that Albion are much better than Southampton. That doesn't tell anyone much. We already knew it.
And the last time we blew a genuine relegation candidate away was when? We need to savour this after so many misfiring games against genuinely shite teams over the years don’t we?
 


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